Rapid Reaction: Items of note as Packers freeze Seahawks at Lambeau.

The Seahawks were completely dismantled by the Packers on Sunday leaving players, coaches and fans searching for answers.

Where can you even start after a game like that? Sometimes after tough defeats it can be good to clear the mind and take a few deep breaths. Tonight is not one of those times. After a demoralizing 38-10 throttling at the hands of the Packers, it seems best to dive into this latest Seattle road meltdown head first. So let’s get right to it with some rapid reaction and thoughts about today’s game.

That was the worst game the Seahawks have played in five years.

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No, that’s not an exaggeration, it’s a fact. The Seahawks haven’t lost a game by more than ten points since 2011. A streak that was more than five years old has come to a screeching halt. That run is absolutely phenomenal and should be properly recognized as one of the great achievements in sports history. But this isn’t the time to look back on that. Right now it’s about looking at this game and this season.

Russell Wilson was alarmingly inaccurate.

This was one of the more concerning developments from today’s letdown in Green Bay. Wilson seemingly missed throw after throw in a game where incompletions actually ended up feeling like small victories. The Seahawk’s quarterback threw a career high five interceptions that helped the Packers build a comfortable lead that they would never relinquish. You can’t throw the ball to the other team five times and expect to be in games. Wilson’s final stat line was one to forget: 22 of 39, 240 YDs, 1TD 5 INT.

Though the turnovers were back breaking, there were several other poor throws that could’ve been game changers. One such throw that comes to mind was a deep ball in which Jimmy Graham was running wide open down field and Russ missed him by a good five yards. What would’ve been a sure touchdown ended as a fruitless possession. In fairness this game was uncharacteristically terrible for Wilson and is likely to never be repeated. The receivers definitely didn’t do him any favors either as several balls went off or through friendly hands. However, this performance was concerning nonetheless and eight interceptions in three games is beginning to look more like a trend than a hiccup.

The Seattle pass rush was nonexistent.

The Seahawks managed to tally just one sack on Sunday and that doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story. Aaron Rodgers appeared to injure his calf early in the game and was practically immobile for three quarters. Even so, the Seahawk’s defensive line was unable to get any pressure on Rodgers. Every time Rodgers dropped back he seemed to have five or more seconds to survey the field and whimsically pick apart the defense. This phase of the game has also become a growing concern as the Seahawks have registered just one sack in the last three games. Without a disruptive pass rush, elite quarterbacks are going to thrive against Seattle. It’s time to manufacture more pressure and quick.

After this game the Seahawks are down, but far from out.

Yes, the Seahawks were absolutely crushed by the Packers and saw a historic run of competitiveness come to an end on Sunday. And yes, the Seahawks have momentarily lost their spot as the two seed in the NFC playoff standings. However, things aren’t as gloomy as they might seem right now.

Barring the meltdown of the century, the Seahawks will be heading to the postseason for the fifth consecutive season. Once they get in, anything is possible. We’ve seen some deeply flawed teams get hot at the right time and go on to win a championship ( i.e. the Giants twice, the Ravens in 2012, Packers in 2010, etc.). It can be done.

Another positive morsel for Seahawks fans is that the remaining three games come against teams that have a combined ten wins. What better way to get back on track than beating up on your futile division foes? 11-4-1 would be a respectable record and could still be enough for the team to secure a highly coveted first round bye.

So there you have it. Sunday was an absolute disaster of a football game. It was an effort that was as disappointing as it was concerning for a team that has its sights set on another Super Bowl run. As bad as it was there is a lot of football to be played. We should all know better than to count a Pete Carroll coached team out. Who knows? Maybe in Pete’s world of perpetual positivity that was just the game they needed to really hit their stride. Heck, in five years I might be writing a story about how the Seahawks haven’t lost a game since December of 2016.

Maybe that’s a little far fetched, but you never know. The truth is the season isn’t over because of one horrendous game. Let’s just see how things shake out before we conclude that this era of Seahawks football has come to an end.

It’s time to flush this one and learn how to beat the Rams on Thursday.